Evans Repeating Rifle

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Evans Repeating Rifle in carbine configuration with 22 inch barrel.

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Evans Repeating Rifle "Sporter" configuration with 26 inch barrel.

One of the oddest rifles to ever be produced in the United States. Released in 1873, the Evans was invented by Warren Evans, a dentist from Thomaston, Maine. It was manufactured by the Evans Rifle Manufacturing Company of Mechanic Falls, Maine and marketed by Merwin & Hulbert. The hope was that the rifle would be picked up by the United States Army, but the rifle failed the standard dust test. It was then offered as a sporting rifle. The company went out of business in 1879.

The rifle had a radial block receiver similar to the Spencer, but the rounds were fed from a Archimedean-screw magazine which formed the spine of the rifle stock and could hold up to thirty-four rounds. The fluted cartridge carrier made a quarter turn each time the lever was operated, feeding a new cartridge into the breech.

There were several things that the rifle had against it. The round was unique to the rifle and hard to find. As stated earlier the mechanism of the rifle was not very sturdy and did not do well with such things as dust. Not a good thing in the Wyoming Territory in 1875. The rifle was heavy, the ergonomics are poor, and the rifle is clumsy when moving. Nevertheless the Evans Repeating Rifle has lately become something of a collector's item and prices are going up. Whatever it's faults it's a fascinating part of United States firearms history.

The Evans Repeating Rifle and variants can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Crossfire Trail	Wilford Brimley	Joe Gill		2001
Tombstone	Forrie J. Smith	Pony Deal		1993

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Note	Release Date
Red Dead Redemption	"Evans Repeater"		2010
Red Dead Redemption 2	"Evans Repeater"	March 2019 update	2018